Robert, head sommelier and wine buyer at London’s 28°-50° group, agreed the main challenge was to find a wine that could balance the salty and sweet components of the dish.

‘Originally I thought of an off-dry Riesling, but then I thought that sweetness might be too much. Then I tried this Marsanne with some bottle age. The wine’s purity, minerality and drive plus its oily, full-bodied texture really carries the dish well.’

The audience verdict: Marsanne

The Marsanne was deemed the winner, with about 65% of the audience vote.

Robert said a number of people would not agree with him on his choice of a fizzy red for this dish, but he urged them to give it a try.

‘Sparkling Shiraz is an amazing and original style of wine and this is a great example,’ he said. ‘It’s essentially dry, but with just a touch of residual sugar which helps with the sweetness of the dish. The bubbles add a certain texture that refreshes the palate and cuts through the richness and sweetness of the food. It has also been bottle-aged for three years so that complexity helps.’

If sparkling reds are a step too far out of your comfort zone, our experts also suggested trying a lighter-styled Grenache served a slightly cool.

The audience verdict: sparkling Shiraz

A close call, but the sparkling Shiraz won by one or two votes.

Dish three

Lobster, shrimp and turbot dumpling with chilli, pistachio and coriander and a spiced carrot sauce.

Jones said: ‘For me, the perfect match is a seamless harmony where the food highlights the wine and the wine enhances the food; neither should overpower the other.’

The wines

With neither Master of Wine nor Master Sommelier knowing what the other had chosen until the taste-off, it was a surprise to see both had looked to the cool climates of Tasmania for their wines.

‘When I first tasted this dish it had more carrot sauce which lent quite a sweet note to the dish,’ said Hughes. ‘For that reason I was on the lookout for an Australian version of an Alsace Pinot Gris with a hint of residual sugar, but sadly that kind of wine doesn’t exist in Australia.

‘So I changed tack and instead of looking for a complement to the richness of the dish I focused on the opposite – a wine to cut through that sweetness and richness but which still had depth.

‘Sparkling wine was the obvious choice and the best in Australia come from Tasmania. This one has beautiful development with a textural richness to balance the sweet shellfish and spice.’